Monday, October 4, 2010

As I was sending out the October update on Tuesday, the team on the Bear Creek project was revisiting the schedule and looking for opportunities to get critical work done before the snow flies. That discussion has led to additional night closures that I didn’t alert you to on Tuesday. ACC will be working double shifts all next week with a single lane of thru traffic during the day alternated by flaggers, and full closures of the Bear Creek Bridge during the night starting on Monday. Night closures will occur Monday 10/4, Tuesday 10/5, Wednesday 10/6 and Thursday 10/7. Friday will be a standard shift with crews exiting the road around 5-6 p.m. We will also have a night closure during the week of October 11. I will provide you with the specifics as that date nears. Please note the Bear Creek overlook is closed until the end of this construction season in Late October.

I will alert you to any changes in this plan and also encourage you to contact the hotline or CDOT’s website in advance of making travel plans.

The Bear Creek Bridge project, located two miles south of Ouray on US 550, started on July 26, 2010. The project design provides for a new wider bridge, improved parking to the north and a cantilevered walkway to allow visitors a better view over the canyon edge onto the falls below. Crews will suspend work for a winter shut down in October 2010 and will return in the spring with a final completion in November 2011. This project was made possible through Colorado FASTER – 09-SB-108 funding.